Minari Cast And Director Lee Isaac Chung Talk Film In Featurette

“Steven had really transormed into Jacob, and I remember truly understanding the weight that my father had, and I thought, ‘What he is doing right now is very magical,’” said Lee Isaac Chung, who drew upon his own immigrant childhood growing up in Arkansas to write the script.

Steven Yeun turned to his own memories of his father leaving behind a life as an architect in Seoul to come to the United States. “I was really battling for myself who I am, and who I think my parents’ generation was,” Yeun said. In a recent interview with IndieWire, he said “He made a decision to uproot his family to get land. That’s such a bold move…As the son of my father I also resonated with that feeling, of wanting to make my own life, and wanting to find who I am and what my purpose is, and what I’m here to do, that existential, isolated loneliness that comes with that feeling.” Related ‘Minari’ Filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung in Talks to Direct ‘Twister’ Sequel ‘Nope’: Creating the Sight, Sound, and Spectacle of a Terror in the Sky Related 7 New Netflix Shows in October 2022 – and the Best Reasons to Watch The 15 Best Vampire Movies Ever Made
Yeri Han, who plays Jacob’s wife Monica in the film, said, “I got a closer look at the person Monica is and I thought of my grandmother, my mother, my aunts in Korea.” Instead of just imitating Lee Isaac Chung’s mother, Han also tapped her own background as a sprawling Korean family living in a small town, with six aunts, and parents that married young. The role of Soonja, played by Yuh-jung Youn, is based upon memories of Chung’s own grandmother, and the film is dedicated to her, but the veteran Korean actress’ performance is not an imitation of her, either. Instead, Youn was inspired by her own spiky great grandmother, who died when she was 10 years old, to play the role.